Hoshinoya Asuka will open on July 22, 2027 in Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture. Hoshinoya is a brand whose properties each offer an extraordinary experience built around an original theme, and Hoshinoya Asuka will be its tenth property. Its concept is "気に満ちた丘の辺" (a hillside brimming with "ki," or energy).
Asuka Village was home to Asuka-kyo, Japan's first palace capital, and is a land where history and rich nature live on, now part of a World Cultural Heritage site. Visitors are invited to feel the lingering, invisible "ki" carried on the winds of the former palace capital. Ahead of the opening, a special website page that includes a teaser video has been launched, offering an early look at the hotel's world.
Concept: A Hillside Brimming with "Ki"
Around 1,400 years ago, Asuka Village was a lively place that served as Japan's first full-fledged capital. Today it is known as the "original landscape of Japan," a place of rich nature where gentle time flows. Surrounded by the remnants of the former palace capital, its "ki," and the natural scenery, guests are offered a "mindfulness experience" in which the accumulated history and the sound of the wind free the mind and body and create space in the heart.
The terraced garden spreading out at Hoshinoya Asuka, expressing the beauty of Asuka Village's terraced rice fields (image)
The stone chamber bath in the guest room "Akane" (image)
Teaser Video Released on October 21, 2026
On October 21, 2026, a teaser video exploring the true nature of the "ki" that fills Asuka Village was released for the first time.
Special Website Page Launched on October 21, 2026
Also on October 21, 2026, a special website page was launched. Alongside a teaser video introducing the guest rooms, it features a special article in which Shunsuke Tatsumi (辰巳俊輔), a lecturer at Shitennoji University, explores the history and appeal of the area.
Hoshinoya special page: https://hoshinoresorts.com/hoshinoya-tokutouseki/
About Asuka Village
During the Asuka period, Asuka Village was the stage for figures such as Empress Suiko, Prince Shotoku, Soga no Umako, Empress Saimei, Emperor Tenmu, and Empress Jito. It is where Japan's first palace capital was established and where Japan's centralized ritsuryo state was born. The village is home to many historic sites, including Ishibutai Kofun, Kitora Kofun, Takamatsuzuka Kofun, and Asukadera Temple, Japan's first full-fledged Buddhist temple.
To protect the local landscape, a special measures law commonly known as the "Asuka Law" (*) designates the entire administrative area of the village as a special historic landscape preservation district (歴史的風土特別保存地区), the only such case in Japan. On July 26, 2026, 15 component properties within the village were inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage site under the name "The Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara" (飛鳥・藤原の宮都).
* The law's official name is 明日香村における歴史的風土の保存及び生活環境の整備等に関する特別措置法 (roughly, "Act on Special Measures for the Preservation of Historic Climate and the Improvement of Living Environment in Asuka Village"). Strict building and development regulations apply across the entire village, so community development must be carried out while protecting the landscape.
Ten Years of Asuka Village and Hoshino Resorts
Under the Asuka Law, urban development is restricted across the entire village. Within this setting, Hoshino Resorts and Asuka Village have deepened their cooperation over ten years through agreements and personnel exchanges between staff. By learning about each other's environments, uncovering the area's original appeal, and working together, they have been preparing for an accommodation facility rooted in the local community.
- 2016: Concluded a "Partnership Agreement on Corporate Location"
- 2019: Concluded a "Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement for Regional Revitalization"
- 2026: Concluded a "Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement for Building a Sustainable Local Society"
Interviews with people involved in the project, covering the journey so far and what lies ahead, are being published in sequence on the special site.
- Part 1: Why Is "The Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara" a World Heritage Site Now? Asking the Asuka Village Mayor About the Origins of Japan's "Capital"
- Part 2: Mayor Morikawa on Hoshino Resorts and Asuka Village. The Sensibility That Led Hoshino Resorts to Choose This Land
- Part 3: Walking Together with the Community. Personnel Exchange Between Asuka Village and Hoshino Resorts (Part 1)
- Part 4: Walking Together with the Community. Personnel Exchange Between Asuka Village and Hoshino Resorts (Part 2)
- Part 5: Toward a "Historic Hub Second Only to Kyoto." Yoshiharu Hoshino on Stay-Based Tourism and Regional Revitalization
More interviews are to follow.
Ten Years of Asuka Village and Hoshino Resorts: https://hoshinoresorts.com/jp/sp/asuka-10years/
Hoshinoya Asuka Overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | 900 Oaza Mayumi, Asuka-mura, Takaichi-gun, Nara Prefecture 634-0137 |
| Phone | 050-3134-8091 (Hoshinoya General Reservations) |
| Rooms | 35 |
| Check-in / Check-out | 3:00 PM / 12:00 PM |
| Facilities | Guest rooms, dining, large communal bath, spa, reception, and more |
| Access | About 4 minutes by car from Asuka Station on the Kintetsu Yoshino Line |
| Opening Date | July 22, 2027 |
| Reservation Start Date | September 25, 2026 |
| Rates | From ¥193,000 per night per room (tax and service charge included, meals not included) |
| Website | https://hoshinoresorts.com/ja/hotels/hoshinoyaasuka/ |
